Baltic States in March 2026: the most important developments in security
In March 2026, security news from the Baltic States centred on Ukrainian drones that strayed into Estonian and Latvian airspace. On 25 March, during a large-scale Ukrainian attack on targets inside Russia, several drones entered the two countries from Russian territory, according to Baltic officials. One drone crashed into a power station in Estonia and another came down in Latvia. By 30 March, Lithuania said Ukraine had expressed regret over the crashes, while Russia handed Latvia a diplomatic note over a similar incident. Russia separately reported a fire at its Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga after a Ukrainian drone attack.
The other items concerned defence preparations and border security. Estonia's Air Force tested a new anti-drone system in a joint exercise with the U.S. Army, and Estonia's prime minister said the country is close to having a multi-layered air defence system. A new Euroguard warship is under construction at the Estonian shipyard Baltic Workboats. Lithuania said Russia is expanding military units on its borders with NATO members, and it was reported to be considering doubling the number of counter-mobility sites along its borders with Russia and Belarus. Lithuania also charged five men over an alleged parcel arson plot linked to Russian intelligence, and the Swedish coast guard boarded a suspected stateless vessel in the Baltic Sea for inspection.
On 19 March, a Russian fighter jet breached Estonia's airspace. Estonian border guards serving in a Frontex operation returned home on 30 March after a boat accident in Greece. Belarusian opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said her move from Vilnius to Warsaw was due to security reasons.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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